A grand jury in Mineola, New York indicted 15 workers of the Long Island Rail Road and two scrap dealers on Friday for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of copper wires.
Eight of the defendants pleaded not guilty and the remainder were expected to be arraigned later in the day, reported the AP.
The robberies allegedly occurred over two years in rail yards on Long Island and New York City.
The investigation ended in the arrests Tuesday of the telecommunications linemen who had unrestricted access to the copper.
The workers allegedly targeted the LIRR rail yards in West Islip; Jamaica, Queens and the Atlantic Avenue viaduct.
The copper was allegedly sold on the black market to scrap yards.
Charges in the indictment unsealed against the first eight vary from conspiracy to grand larceny to possession of stolen property. Attorneys for several of the defendants said the copper wiring allegedly stolen was scrap that was to be discarded.
Christopher Natale of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen planned to issue a statement later Friday.
The Nassau County District Attorney is expected to update the media on the investigation.
FOX 5 News has reached out to the MTA which operates the LIRR for comment. The MTA says it will issue a statement later today.
Sunday, May 19 2013 3:14 PM EDT2013-05-19 19:14:07 GMT
Authorities say one person is dead and another was injured when the vehicle they were in ran off the road and crashed into Huntington harbor on Long Island Saturday evening.
Authorities say one person is dead and another was injured when the vehicle they were in ran off the road and crashed into Huntington harbor on Long Island Saturday evening.
Thursday, May 16 2013 1:40 PM EDT2013-05-16 17:40:30 GMT
A proposal to build a major Long Island casino with video slot machines is part of closed-door negotiations to expand casino gambling in New York.
A proposal to build a major Long Island casino with video slot machines is part of closed-door negotiations to expand casino gambling in New York, according to the head of the Nassau County Off-Track Betting Corp. and a legislative bill.
Tuesday, May 14 2013 3:59 PM EDT2013-05-14 19:59:22 GMT
USDA photo
The tree-killing Asian longhorned beetle has been eradicated from Manhattan and Staten Island, but remains a problem in Brooklyn, Queens, and parts of Long Island.
The tree-killing Asian longhorned beetle has been eradicated from Manhattan and Staten Island, but remains a problem in Brooklyn, Queens, and parts of Long Island, according to state agriculture officials.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to freeze Long Islanders' energy rates for three years as part of a proposal to end operating control of the Long Island Power Authority.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to freeze Long Islanders' energy rates for three years as part of a proposal to end operating control of the Long Island Power Authority.
